still broke; sometimes knitting

yum!

Apple crisp was just the ticket. I followed this recipe, but possibly added more apples (I had 8 smaller apples in 4 varieties!) and most certainly did not do any of the fancy layering. Instead, I coated the apples with cinammon sugar and then (unceremoniously) dumped them into a deep-dish bowl, covered with a think layer of buttery-sugary-oaty crispy crust. They did not seem to mind in the least.

The different varieties were just different enough that the flavor is quite interesting and not at all boring … a little tart, a little sweet. Perfect, really.

In the end, the crisp was the perfect way to go. I am very particular about my apples — tart and crisp, thank you (4103 Braeburn is my trusted favorite) — and these, while a nice sampler of new flavors, colors, and textures, were all much too mushy for my very picky taste.

And just in case you’re wondering, I did a little research into the question of crisp vs. crumble. According to wikipedia the difference is largely geographical: crisp in the US, crumble in the UK. There does, however, seem to be a general consesus on the interwebs that the crumble crust tends to be finer — like breadcrumbs — using only butter, flour, and sugar, while the crisp crust tends to add oats and is thus chunkier.

Thank you, chowhound. Now, if it could just find me some good Szechuan food around here.

In other news: pretty yarn! My dear friend here in Nashville has requested a selbu modern for her birthday (thankfully not until February). I had this combination in mind, which she recently approved, so now I just need to get started.

Yum! I love apple dishes in the autumn. My favorite apples are crisp and tart — I love Haralson apples (developed at the U of MN) in particular. The name adds an extra appeal for me, though the spelling is different.

Weekends truly are the best. I have some salted caramel pumpkin blondies in the oven right now, and a book on literary theory to curl up with in just a moment.🙂

Great colour combo! The Selbu modern pattern makes a lovely knit. And that apple crisp looks tasty! Both crumble and crisp are not known to the german kitchen but I’ve wanted to try making one or both of them for some time now. Since there are oats in it, the crisp sound more appealing… Have a good week!
P.S.: I’m a Braeburn fan myself🙂

I love Braeburns too. Delicious looking crisp! You’re right, we don’t use oats, although I prefer a chunky texture so I keep my crumble topping on the rustic side. I think the other difference in the whole experience might be the serving suggestion; I would almost always eat apple crumble with as much custard as I could fit into the bowl. I don’t think custard is quite such an intrinsic part of cold-weather living across the pond? You people are missing out😉

Selbu modern will be fab – I cast on for one a while ago but seem to have lost it. I must go on a knitting hunt…